Power and Persistence: The Indigenous Roots of Representative Democracy

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bentzen, Jeanet Sinding; Hariri, Jacob Gerner; Robinson, James A.
• 署名单位: University of Copenhagen; University of Chicago
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12568
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 678-714
• 关键词: economic-development; medieval origins; institutions; village; TRADE

摘要

This article documents that indigenous democratic practices are associated with contemporary representative democracy. The basic association is conditioned on the relative strength of the indigenous groups within a country; stronger groups were able to shape national regime trajectories, weaker groups were not. Our analyses suggest that institutions are more likely to persist if they are supported by powerful actors and less likely to persist if the existing power structure is disrupted by, e.g. colonisation. Our findings contribute to a growing literature on institutional persistence and change.